Survey study, 1975
Is migraine linked to menstrual hormones?
Migraine is linked to the menstrual cycle in some women. Women with migraine have higher hormone levels during the cycle, but no specific hormone change triggers attacks.
What they did
They surveyed 142 women about the relationship between their migraines and menstruation. They also measured hormone levels throughout the menstrual cycle in a smaller group of 22 women (8 with menstrual-linked migraine, 6 with other patterns, and 8 without migraine).
What they found
Of 142 women, 24 had migraines that started when they began menstruating. Only 13 had migraines occurring regularly just before or during menstruation, and 11 had migraines linked to menstruation and other times. Women with menstrual-linked migraine were more likely to have weight gain and breast tenderness, and to improve during pregnancy. In the hormone study, women with migraine had higher oestrogen and progesterone levels than women without migraine, especially during the late premenstrual phase. However, no specific hormone change was linked to when migraine attacks occurred.
What it means for you
Migraine is connected to menstruation in a minority of women, and women with migraine have different hormone patterns. However, the exact hormone changes that trigger attacks remain unclear. This study was too small to distinguish what makes menstrual-linked migraine different from other migraine patterns.
142
Women surveyed
13
With regular menstrual-linked migraine
22
Women in hormone study
About the study
- Original title
- Migraine and reporoductive hormones throughout the menstrual cycle
- Authors
- Epstein MT, Hockaday JM, Hockaday TD
- Journal
- Lancet (London, England)
- Year
- 1975
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 142
- What was tested
- None; observation and hormone measurement.
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(75)91558-5
Topics
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